Murray Planning Several Thought-Provoking Moves

Coach Andy Murray insists he isn’t playing mind games. It’s just a case of getting players to think about their jobs a bit differently.

So when center Steve Reinprecht found himself skating on a line with checkers Kelly Buchberger and Scott Thomas in practice Sunday, rather than being grouped with scorers Luc Robitaille and Glen Murray, as usual, it didn’t necessarily mean Reinprecht had lost his job.

Or that Eric Belanger had taken it.

“Could we get Reinprecht a little more on the defensive side of the puck?” said Murray, clearly not happy with the rookie’s play in that facet.

“I don’t want them thinking, ‘Where do I fit?’ We want Steve to be a little better defensively.”

And defenseman Jaroslav Modry being paired with Mathieu Schneider offered an opportunity to see the two together before Ottawa or Toronto does.

“We’re thinking that sometime on the road trip, we’re going to give [Lubomir] Visnovsky a little break,” Murray said.

Visnovsky, a rookie, has missed only one game and appears to be wearing down. Teams are spending more energy working against him close to the net, where they can take advantage of his inexperience.

The moves came a day after the Kings’ 4-2 loss to St. Louis.

“I just want the guys to think a little bit,” Murray said. “I’m not sure how we’re going to line up [at Ottawa on Tuesday in a game that begins a trip through Toronto, Carolina and Philadelphia over seven days].

“I just know I was not very pleased with our game last night.”

Murray also promised remedial action on the Kings’ play during faceoffs. Rookie Belanger was the only center with a positive record Saturday night, taking seven of 13. Jozef Stumpel--who generally takes faceoffs to start power plays, among his many duties--lost 20 of 28 and Reinprecht lost eight of 11.

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No, Rob Blake isn’t planning to stay in Toronto in a trade after the Kings leave for Carolina on Thursday morning.

He packed a dozen sticks, enough for the whole trip, and figures to come back to Southern California with the team in a week. Still, he laughs at the idea of the expected media onslaught in Toronto, where four newspapers and various other outlets are united in one quest: to see Blake play for the Maple Leafs.

“I’ve seen it with [Wayne] Gretzky,” Blake said of his former teammate. “That’s the worst I’ve ever seen, and it won’t be as bad as that.”